Monday, July 31, 2017

Excerpted and expanded from the recently released 415-page book in Carolyn Howard-Johnson's multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

Writing great professional reviews (as opposed to writing more casual reader reviews which I also cover as part of my newest how-to book for writers!) will probably entail tackling a slight learning curve. It isn't as steep, however, as the curves required when you switch genres from, say, experimental genres to literary or poetry. With a few basic guidelines, you can write reviews to be proud of for your blog or other online review entities. Different media outlets have different style guides.

Here is why you might choose writing reviews as a way to give your writing career a nudge (you can read that market if you want to!).

§ 1. Writing reviews is fun. It is, after all, writing. And it allows you to market by doing what you like to do.

§ 2. Writing reviews will help you network with all kinds of editors, authors, and others in the publishing industry who may be in a position to help you market your own books.

§ 3. Amazon and its links to your author's profile page are waiting for you! Each review you post there contributes to your exposure on the one place in the world where the most readers and writing professionals hang out.

§ 4. Your reviews lend to your credibility in the publishing world.

Here is a style guide similar to Midwest Book Review's guidelines for their reviewers:

Your review should begin with metadata including:

Title.

Author.

Publisher.

Publisher's address.

Publisher's Web site address (if they have one).

Publisher's e-mail address (if they have one).

ISBN.

Retail price.

Page count.

Your name (that would be you as thereviewer).

To write an engaging review, consider:

Including why you selected this particular book for review. Perhaps it relates to your work, hobby, avocation, a particular area of interest, your expertise, or just for fun.

Adding how the author uses language and structure, illustrates his/her points, develops characters. Use brief quotations from the book to support your observations, opinions, and comments. When writing poetry reviews, include an excerpt from a poem that illustrates a point; when writing a review of a cookbook, include a recipe that appeals to you.

Who the book is intended for. Address how well the material relates to that audience.

suggestions for the author to consider next time his or her work appears in print.

Including a bit about the author's background, credentials, or other titles.

Including relevant titles that might interest the readers of this book.

To submit a review to journals, follow their formatting guidelines. Lacking those, type your reviews in single spaced paragraphs with double spacing between the paragraphs. The review can be a few paragraphs or a few pages—take as much space as you feel is necessary to say whatever you want to say, unless you are writing for a specific journal, blog, or review website. In that case, follow their suggested word count.

Above all, have a good time putting your thoughts and opinions down. The best reviews are those that you would like to listen to while driving along in your car or chatting with friends over lunch. I interpret this as meaning that this journal would prefer a casual tone rather than too much formality.

Here's one of the most important guidelines for authors who choose to review for the good of their careers. Do you remember what Flower, the skunk in Disney's Bambi said? "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." We'll just amend that to, "If you can't find anything nice to say, don't write a review."

If a book is badly written or not worthwhile, send the book back to the author with a polite explanation that you are not a match for this book rather than slash and burn. It will look a little like the rejection notices we authors must become accustomed to in the submission process. This doesn't mean you can't include some criticism. You should. Studies show that a review that is tempered by critique sells more books than rave reviews because they are viewed as more credible. Further, just as a critique group can make a difference in an author's technique, so can a critical comment from a reviewer.

Hint: If you plan to pursue reviewing for pay, I recommend you read Mayra Calvani and Anne Edwards' book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing or Magdalena Ball's The Art of Assessment. It turns out that some writers carve entire careers out of reviewing. And others manage to make enough money from it to support their poetry or fiction habits until they become rich and famous.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as an instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes both the first and second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. They won awards from USA Book News, Readers' Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. She is celebrating the release of the third, How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethicallyin the series.

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community's Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly's list of "Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen" and was given her community's Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.

The author loves to travel. She has visited eighty-nine countries and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes. Her Web site iswww.howtodoitfrugally.com.

Friday, July 28, 2017

"The author offers something that seems so obvious, you wonder why more authors haven't taken this approach before her. She actually offers guidance on the mental, emotional, and physical mechanics of controlling what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat, including hands on tools and techniques, and as well as exercises to put her guidance into practice. The book is innovative, short, and to the point... designed for today's busy readers (thank goodness!)"

~Jeff Davidson, "The Work-Life Balance ExpertÂ®" and Breathing Space, Dial it Down--Live it Up, and Simpler Living

Would you like to eat what you want, stop when you want, lose weight and do this all without having to diet or exercise? Well, now you have the choice to do just that! Sora's Weight-Loss "Management" Program is a revolutionary no diet, weight-loss program that gives you those choices now! This no diet, weight-loss program lets you eat the foods that you really want and always be able to manage your cravings.

Sora's Weight-Loss "Management" Program as taught in a workbook format teaches you how to use two simple eat and stop yourself techniques so that now you can become forever thin and healthy and all without having to diet.

"The author offers something that seems so obvious, you wonder why more authors haven't taken this approach before her. She actually offers guidance on the mental, emotional, and physical mechanics of controlling what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat, including hands on tools and techniques, and as well as exercises to put her guidance into practice. The book is innovative, short, and to the point... designed for today's busy readers (thank goodness!)"

~Jeff Davidson, "The Work-Life Balance Expert®" and Breathing Space, Dial it Down--Live it Up, and Simpler Living

Would you like to eat what you want, stop when you want, lose weight and do this all without having to diet or exercise? Well, now you have the choice to do just that! Sora's Weight-Loss "Management" Program is a revolutionary no diet, weight-loss program that gives you those choices now! This no diet, weight-loss program lets you eat the foods that you really want and always be able to manage your cravings.

Sora's Weight-Loss "Management" Program as taught in a workbook format teaches you how to use two simple eat and stop yourself techniques so that now you can become forever thin and healthy and all without having to diet.

The Band 4 - The Air We Breathe is a love story. It has a supernatural twist which distinguishes it from other love stories. When people read it – I want them to feel the love between the 2 main characters Marguerite and Chase. It’s about the story of their lives together which includes Chase’s bandmates whom he considers brothers. They are one-quarter of each other not one-quarter of the band and also his best friend Ed whom everyone should pay special attention to. Marguerite meets Chase in a coffee shop in London the night before he was going to go to the studio to quit the band. Quit his brothers. The turmoil, anxiety, and distress he was in was unbearable. She was on a Holiday after just escaping her own turmoil - being held almost captive by her strict and overbearing parents. She feels someone in distress in the coffee shop and it stuns her because she doesn’t know anyone in London – she just got there. She pinpoints the distress to Chase and goes to the clerk and asks what he is drinking and can he make it in decaf. She goes to his table – takes his coffee right from his hands and slides over the cup of decaf. She tells him ‘I can feel your anxiety 6 tables away – you should stay away from caffeine’. He follows her right to her table and asks if he could join her. That starts the story of their lives together.

2. What got you into writing?

I had a dream one night. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I felt it was trying to tell me something. I sat down one afternoon and just wrote out the dream. All of a sudden I kept picturing this couple and imagining things they would go through. Throughout the day I would write myself little notes on a thought I had about a story line for a chapter. Then at night I would write it out and expand on it. I don’t know what triggered that dream.

3. What genres do you like to read?

Fantasy, Love stories, Time Travel.

4. What is your process for developing characters? Do you people watch and base characters off of what you see? Or are your characters complete figments of your imagination?

It depends on what I am doing. When I wrote the part of Chase – I was watching the series Reign about Mary Queen of Scots and the man that played her husband – King Francis of France was Toby Regbo. I loved the way he treated her. The gentleness in his voice when he spoke to her and how he cherished her. So I based Chase after him. Then I wrote in Chase’s best friend Ed. I was listening to Ed Sheeran at the time and I love red hair. So – I based Ed off of Ed Sheeran.

5. How much time and effort do you put into marketing?

I do as many book signings as I can but you have to be careful. I try and do wine festivals because what goes better with wine than a good book to read. But the charge for the table outweighs what you would make so I can only do the festivals I could afford. I also am on social media a lot. The problem with that is – yes everyone supports you but no one goes to Amazon to actually buy the book. It is a lot of work. The same thing with on line book clubs. They tweet your book to 100,000 members but hardly anyone actually buys your book. I think that is mainly because there are so many of us out there. We all are looking for the same thing. Someone to buy or notice our books.

6. Do you have any works in mind that you’ve not yet written? If so, what are they?

I am writing a 4th book not related to The Band 4 Trilogy. I love college basketball and March Madness. So the new book will be a love story and about a player on a college basketball team who sees his life spinning out of control until he meets someone whom he feels is the only person to save him from destroying his life.

7. If there is one thing that stands out about your writing or your stories, what is it?

I love romance. I want everyone to feel the love between Chase and Marguerite. Everyone who has read the book feels I did accomplish that.

8. What inspired you to write your most recent story?

I wrote the sequel ‘Ed for Love and Hope’ mainly because everyone kept asking for more. They wanted to read more about this couple because they loved them so much.

Inspired to write this story by a dream she simply couldn't get out of her head, Marguerite Nardone Gruen has enjoyed every step of this journey, laughing and crying along with her characters as they slowly took shape and came to life. While writing the final line was bittersweet, she is thrilled to share this dream, and its heart, with her readers. Marguerite is an avid football fan and loves March madness college basketball. She lives with her husband of 35 years, in Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

"I recommend it to those who intend to submit themselves at a fundamental level to the gracious sovereignty of God." J. Jeffries

Take a ride with Kevin Michael as he journeys through consciousness, traveling both the inner realms and across the world. Although Kevin was not a truth seeker, severe health challenges forced him to seek holistic health methods. Much to his surprise, he found spirit in the process and spirit said - you are coming with me.

What is the result of such a journey? Healing one's self and finding one's spiritual gifts. Having lived many of life's challenges himself, he has sought much inner and outer help. Along the way, he developed a highly effective healing technique given to him by the "bridgers". That technique is introduced in Chapter Four of this book: "Harry meets Swami". Through this book, Kevin is now gifting the reader with the technique that has made a world of difference in his healing journey.

This book is for anyone who is serious about their spiritual path and committed to their spiritual growth. It clearly demonstrates that we are not alone and that all we have to do is know how to ask for effective help. Now is the time for each of us to take the next step on our personal journey of healing and remembering Who We Are.

Friday, July 14, 2017

Imagine: The phone
doesn't ring, you find yourself amid a pile of rejection letters, and money's
tight. It's been more weeks than you care to count since you've gotten an
assignment or book contract, you've got serious reservations about your
writer's status, and last but not least, the fear of never getting a new gig
haunts you like a spooky Stephen King sci-fi tale.

If you're like me and
most writers, at some time you'll probably hit a plateau - the point when it
seems you just can't pull out of a big, unfortunate S-L-U-M-P. What gives?

Blame it on your fave
book publisher downsizing, your pet editor(s) going AWOL, or karma. But the
good news is, you can reprise your role as a prolific writer. So if you're
down, on the verge of suffering through a sales lull or trying to find a way
out, get prepared to write yourself out of a slump. It can be done. I'm
living proof.

Whether you need a
jump-start or want to make a comeback, the following slump-busters suggest
some strategies for boosting your number of assignments, revamping your
rebound strategies and coping while trying to end a bad streak.

1. Market, Market,
Market -
Yeah, it's frustrating to send stuff into what seems like a black hole. But
note: The key is to market more, not less. Just ask Patricia Fry of Ojai,
Calif., a seasoned journalist and author of 15 books. "When I feel like
I'll never get another assignment, I contact all of the editors and
publishers I've worked with before and offer my assistance," she says.
"I let them know that I'm available and I suggest a couple of new
article ideas." Play the number game: The more queries you send out, the
better your odds of success.

2. Recycle Reprints - While marketing can give you hope of
ending a slump, actually selling your published work is, of course, the
faster moneymaker. During one holiday season, I had a pile of relationship
quizzes published in Complete Woman magazine. I faxed a bunch of them as
potential reprints to a large magazine publisher, Australian Consolidated
Press (www.ACP.com.au), and prayed for a Christmas
miracle. Two weeks later, both Australian Women's Weekly and Cleo purchased
reprint rights to several of my articles, with a payment of nearly $1,000.

3. Spread Your Wings - Now is the time
to break out of your comfort zone and go to Plan B. "As I watched
several of the mags I was writing for go under, I noticed that the tech mags
were growing and even multiplying," Fry says. "I studied technology
magazines, came up with some ideas, began sending out query letters and
landed quite a few assignments I was comfortable writing about."
Translation: Teens, couples and women in tech businesses kept this writer
working. P.S. I confess. I also migrated toward this money trail.

4. Get Local Business - In Lake Tahoe,
where I live, real estate is hot stuff. I boldly called the owner of a luxury
real estate firm and offered my copywriting services. And I was home free.
First, I rewrote nine newspaper ads (less than 200 words each for a total of
$1,800). And that's not all. I revamped the company Web site's agent bios
($35 to $65 each) and developed articles on 15 Tahoe-area communities
($1,200). Then, I created fun articles on Tahoe's favorite beaches and golf
courses ($400 each) and restaurants ($800).

5. Go Global - My writer pal,
Larry Tritten of San Francisco, has taken a different path, too. "If the
road you're on is muddy, take a detour," says Tritten, a veteran writer
who has experienced the ups and downs of the market. His gift for sensory detail
has been his ticket to faraway lands like Rio de Janeiro, Malta and the
Caribbean. Tritten gives kudos to the Travelwriter Marketletter (at www.TravelWriterML.com) for giving him a ticket to see
the world. "For seven days, I recently had designer rooms in two
resorts, slept with sliding doors wide open to warm nights, the sight of
coconut palms and sound of surf from sea only 50 yards away. Very strange to
live like a millionaire for a week, then back to a more conventional
lifestyle. I'm living in high style and getting paid to write about it,"
he says.

7. Consult on a Book Proposal -
For example, in Reno, Nev., a woman came up to my book signing table and
asked me how she could get her personal health story published. One week
later I presented to her a book outline and details of a number of options
appropriate to her situation, including having her book ghostwritten or done
as an "as told to," as well as the benefits of self-publishing. I
charged a flat rate of $400 for three hours.

8. Cook up an Idea - While that first
consultation did not lead to a book, it did prepare me for my next book
signing - and hitting a jackpot in Las Vegas. A cooking expert, Roe Valenti,
approached my table at a bookstore there and told me she had written a
cookbook, sort of. I offered to take a look and we connected: I was hired for
$4,500 to rewrite and coauthor an innovative, self-published cookbook I
titled Just Cook It! How to Get Culinary
Fit 1-2-3 (iUniverse).

9. Sell Your Books on the Side -
I realized that peddling comp copies of 202 Pets' Peeves to Canada geese on
the beach during off-season at the lake wasn't going to pay my bills. I took
advantage of the fact that a book contract with a traditional publisher or
self-publisher will often allow a writer to buy books in bulk at a discount
rate, though they cannot be sold in bulk. In my case, I discovered that it
doesn't hurt to sell signed books one-on-one to acquaintances who will spread
the word about an animal-lovers' book. That way, you can make extra money
selling your stuff and pay off your book advance, too. It's a win-win
situation.

10. Hang in There and Live Life -
No matter how bleak things look, don't fall victim to the
"out-of-work" blues. Keep a move on and embrace what moves you.
Before John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath,
he observed firsthand the real life of migrant workers. Jack London's two
classics, The Call of the Wild and White Fang, were drawn
from the author's northland adventures. Both authors learned how to adapt and
survive in the best and the worst of times. Famous writers like these
experienced life and wrote about their experiences. Go ahead - open up your
heart, and take a risk, too. (Refer to Slump Buster #5.)

11. Be a Pro - The fact remains,
a writer's slump can hit anyone, anytime. But hey, if you practice being a
professional during the up times, it might help you sail through the down
times. "Meet your deadlines, follow guidelines, be reliable and easy to
work with," Fry suggests. And it's these tips and tricks that have paid
off for her. She had written for one magazine for years on a regular basis.
"One day the editor asked me if I'd like to bid on a major job for their
international organization," she says. "I'm happy to say that my
good track record paid off and I landed this lucrative job."

12. Network with a Capital N - Ever think you're
too busy for the writing world? Think again. Fry is also the president of
SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), which offers links to
research sources, publishers, printers and the media. Get up-to-date market
information at www.spawn.org. Organizations like this can
help you get and stay connected. Another good online networking source
is www.MediaBistro.com, where I've landed some
nice assignments.

13. Hug Your Agent (or get one!) -
Literary agents can help you as well, even on gloomy days. Ah, trust me, it's
bliss to have your agent send you an e-mail saying, "Hang in
there." And think how good it must feel to know you've got someone in
your corner marketing your words of wisdom. To find a perfect fit, check
out www.Writers.net.

14. Pamper Yourself - As you go through
a dry spell, chill out. It helps me to look at inspirational articles and
books I have written or that are due to be published. As a health and fitness
writer, I also know too well that pigging out on a carton of ice cream and
playing couch potato doesn't make for a comeback. Instead, try nourishing
your spirit by walking or reading. Healthy activities like these help me fire
up the creative juices, and they can get you through a rough patch.

15. Keep a Can-Do Attitude - You'll recover
faster. That means, return messages ASAP when that Type-A editor calls with
an assignment due yesterday. Yesterday, I accepted a magazine assignment via
e-mail, interviewed two Realtors® for agent bios, quickly dished out a new
pet-related idea on command to a book editor, slated another book signingwhen the
PR person called me, and did edits for Just Cook It! Whoo! Jump on
opportunity when it strikes.

And stay geared up for action. Take care of your computer,
supplies and contacts during signs of a rebound. Among the welcome signals
that you're back in business, I can attest, are an editor's e-mail requesting
fresh ideas, call-waiting beeps, or a satisfied client wanting you to expand
a project. (Read: more money.)

As you pick yourself up, and you will, think of Paul Newman
in The Color of Money.
Just repeat his character Fast Eddie's confident words, "Hey,
I'm back!" And take a bow. You survived a writer's slump.
Congrats!

•••

Cal Orey, M.A. is an author and journalist. Her books include "The Healing Powers"

series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, and Tea) published by Kensington.

(The Healing Powers of Honey and Coffee are offered by the Good Cook Book Club.)

Thursday, July 6, 2017

In the world of publishing as in life, persistence counts. Of course, there is no way to keep a book at the top of the charts forever, but if you keep reviving it, you might hold a classic in your hands. Or your marketing efforts for one book may propel your next one to greater heights.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen authors who measure their success by book sales give up on their book (and sometimes on writing) just about the time their careers are about ready to take off. I tell my students and clients to fight the it’s-too-late-urge.

Publicity is like the little waves you make when you toss pebbles into a lake. The waves travel, travel, travel and eventually come back to you. If you stop lobbing little stones, you lose momentum. It’s never too late and it’s never too early to promote. Rearrange your thinking. Marketing isn’t about a single book. It’s about building a career. And new books can build on the momentum created by an earlier book, if you keep the faith. Review the marketing ideas in this book, rearrange your schedule and priorities a bit, and keep at it.

Run a contest on your Web site, on Twitter, or in your newsletter. Use your books for prizes or get cross-promotion benefits by asking other authors for books; many will donate one to you in trade for the exposure. Watch the 99 Cent Stores for suitable favors to go with them.

Hint: Any promotion you do including a contest is more powerful when you call on your friends to tell their blog visitors or Facebook pals about it.

Barter your books or your services for exposure on other authors’ Web sites.

Offer classes in writing to your local high school, college, or library system. Publicizing them is easy and free. When appropriate, use your own book as suggested reading. The organization you are helping will pitch in by promoting your class. The network you build with them and your students is invaluable. Use this experience in your media kit to show you have teaching and presentation skills.

Slip automailers into each book you sell or give away for publicity. Automailers are envelopes that are pre-stamped, ready to go. Your auto mailer asks the recipient to recommend your book to someone else. Your mailer includes a brief synopsis of your book, a picture of the cover of your book, your book’s ISBN, ordering information, a couple of your most powerful blurbs, and a space for the reader to add her handwritten, personal recommendation. Make it clear in the directions that the reader should fill out the form, address the envelope, and mail it to a friend. You may offer a free gift for helping out, but don’t make getting the freebie too tough. Proof-of-purchase type schemes discourage your audience from participating.

Send notes to your friends and readers asking them to recommend your book to others. Or offer them a perk like free shipping, gift wrap, or small gift if they purchase your book for a friend. That’s an ideal way to use those contact lists you’ve been building.

While you’re working on the suggestion above, put on your thinking cap. What directories have you neglected to incorporate into your contact list? Have you joined any new groups since your book was published? Did you ask your grown children for lists of their friends? Did you include lists of old classmates?

Though it may be a bit more expensive than some ideas in this book, learn more about Google’s AdWords and AdSense and Facebook's ad program. Many authors of niche nonfiction or fiction that can be identified with often-searched-for keywords find this advertising program effective.

Check out ad programs like Amazon’s Vine review service. You agree to provide a certain number of books to Amazon and pay them a fee for the service. Amazon arranges the reviews for you. It’s expensive, but it gets your book exposed to Amazon’s select cadre of reviewers who not only write reviews for your Amazon sales page but also may start (or restart!) a buzz about your book.

Some of your reviews (both others’ reviews of your book and reviews you’ve written about others’ books) have begun to age from disuse. Start posting them (with permission from the reviewer) on Web sites that allow you to do so. Check the guidelines for my free review service blog at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com.

Connect and reconnect. Start reading blogs and newsletters you once subscribed to again. Subscribe to a new one. Join a writers’ group or organization related to the subject of your book.

Record a playful message about your book on your answering machine.

When you ship signed copies of your book, include a coupon for the purchase of another copy for a friend—signed and dedicated—or for one of your other books. Some distributors insert fliers or coupons into your books when they ship them for a fee.

Adjust the idea above to a cross-promotional effort with a friend who writes in the same genre as you. He puts a coupon for your book in his shipments; you do the same for him in yours.

Explore the opportunities for speaking on cruise ships. Many have cut back on the number of speakers they use, but your area of expertise may be perfect for one of them. I tried it, but found ship politics a drawback. Still many authors like Allyn Evans who holds top honors in Toastmasters and Erica Miner have used these venues successfully. For help with the application process from beginning to end, contact Daniel Hall at speakerscruisefree.com.

------

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been promoting her own books and helping clients promote theirs for more than a decade. Her marketing plan for the 2nd in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, The Frugal Editor)won the New Millennium Award for Marketing. The second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is a USA Book News award winner and was given the coveted Irwin Award from Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC). Her most recent, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically was released in December. Learn more about Carolyn and her books of fiction and poetry that helped her learn more about what kinds of marketing work best for writers at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. or at her Amazon profile, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.